CELEBRATING HISTORY, INSPIRING WHAT'S AHEAD

SC Johnson’s innovative Fortaleza Hall, named for the city in
northeast Brazil that was at the heart of two life-changing expeditions
by the Johnson family, represents a commitment to the company’s legacy
of visionary thinking and inspired architecture.

Designed
by world-renowned architect Norman Foster and his firm, London-based
Foster + Partners, Fortaleza Hall is a contemporary partner to the
innovative buildings and offerings of Frank Lloyd Wright. It earned a
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification
from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011.

The
60,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2010, has two distinct
sections: Fortaleza Hall, which provides historical context for the
company and the advances that continue to take place, and The Commons,
which offers a myriad of employee amenities. Soaring at the building's
heart is the replica twin-engine S-38 amphibian plane that Sam Johnson
flew to Fortaleza, Brazil in 1998.

Innovative Experiences

Several
artists worked within Fortaleza Hall to create an atmosphere that
captures the company’s culture, commitment to the environment and spirit
of adventure. The experiences seek to inspire, motivate and renew the
building’s visitors, and include:

• Polyconic mosaic map – Depicting the rich topography of the Western
Hemisphere and tracing Sam Johnson’s journey from Racine to Brazil, the
map was created using 19,200 three-inch pieces of four different types
of sustainably harvested wood: black walnut, American cherry, maple and
hornbeam.

• Legacy gallery – This unique gallery shares
stories of Sam Johnson, the Carnauba expeditions and the history, values
and principles of the company.

• Soundscape –
Fortaleza comes to life with the sounds of Brazil, such as flora, fauna,
street life and wildlife in our unique soundscame that is designed to
sync with the time of day and weather.

• Waterfall and
reflecting pool – Water falls 14 feet into a reflecting pool that is 28
feet long, with the system circulating 750 gallons of water.

•
Mural – The first installation of its kind in North America, the mural
features 8,000 square feet of precast white concrete with rasterized
images of the Brazilian palm forest, recreated from a photo taken during
H. F. Johnson Jr.’s 1935 expedition.

• Vertical Garden – One of four permanent Patrick Blanc-designed
vertical garden walls in the U.S., the garden is 49 feet wide by 18 feet
high and features 79 species of living plants and nearly 2,500 plants
in total.

Ready to come for a visit? Tours are free and open to the public. We look forward to welcoming you soon!